New Hampshire marimba tour

A quick, two-day Super Marimba tour of New Hampshire. First stop on November 21 was a concert at Dartmouth in Hanover. Doug Perkins hosted me and the concert was fabulous. Great turnout, especially from the community at large. Lots of elderly people and families with kids. I’m never sure what they’ll think when I build up giant walls of noisy distorted marimba sounds, but they loved it. Doug’s three-year-old son Jake was running around the whole time saying “Payton, I am an ice cream cone!” Apparently when you’re wearing two hats you become an ice cream cone. I got a kick out of seeing Doug in Daddy mode, while also balancing being a host. He apologized a few times for the multitasking, but I reassured him that there was nothing to apologize about.

I began the next day with a two-hour trail run in the New Hampshire woods, then drove east to the University of New Hampshire, in Durham. At 11:00 I gave a lecture on the influence of Hindustani music on American Experimental music, then I shared a wonderful lunch with Daniel Beller-McKenna, a smart and engaging musicology professor at UNH. After lunch I wandered around the campus, meditating on endurance sports and experimental music, enjoying the crisp air and the fall sunshine. I wound up in the library and enjoyed some nice quiet time to read and doze on a couch. At 6:00 I unloaded my electronic gear and started setting up and sound checking. I was performing in a large rehearsal room that presented some interesting feedback challenges, most of which I smoothed out, some of which I shrugged my shoulders at. That’s the beauty of my set up. Every room is a new sound world. I respond to my environment, feedback and all.

By 8:00 the space was packed, and the ushers had to create another row of chairs. We dimmed the lights and I began. I started with a few pieces I commissioned from other composers, then improvised freely for a bit, then played the block of Super Marimba music you have here. My energy level was very high, with razor-sharp focus. I felt a real connection with the audience and the long run in the morning in the woods had once again renewed that Sense of Wonder that I prize so highly, the fountainhead of all my artistic activities, the feeling I seek with every note I improvise, compose, and play. A half hour passed very quickly, I completely forgot about where I was or what I was doing. One of the most enjoyable performances of my life.

Special thanks to my dear friend Rob Haskins for hosting me. Thanks also to Daniel Beller-McKenna and Nancy Smith for their hospitality.

The underground institution of marriage

I was hanging with Chris Norton and Blake Tyson today at PASIC before Blake and I went out in front of 800 percussionists and played Wuorinen (me) and El-Dabh (Blake) and we got talking about our marriages. Blake and Lianna have been married for 15 years. Chris and his wife have been married for 27 years. And Jessica and I for 13 years. For all of us those have all been good years, faithful and committed.

I pointed out that a successful marriage is essentially a counterculture activity nowadays, not so different from the avant garde music that I champion. Hardly anyone does it, and if you’re going to do it you need to really ignore the constant barrage of media and social messaging that encourages you otherwise. Being in a successful marriage in the U.S. in 2010 is like being a hippie was in the early 60s. You are defying the social norms that dominate the culture and seeking an alternate reality. Just as I’ve devoted my life to music that expands the frontiers of human potential, so have I devoted my life to my marriage and my family. To hell with modern culture that tells me otherwise! Indeed, the more the masses tell me to get divorced and “free” myself from the “shackles” of marriage, the more I want to stay married.

The statistics for marriage are pretty bad in the U.S. Over 50% end in divorce. Of the other 50% of the couples, over half of them are cheating on each other. In other words, only about 25% of marriages actually work.

Given those statistics it’s not uncommon to hear people in long-term relationships discount marriage as an anachronism, rightfully pointing out the hypocrisy that happens when people stay married but are unhappy or publically proclaim to stay together only to fall apart soon after. And yet the institution of marriage persists. Why?

Because when it works, like it does for Jessica and me, it is incredibly powerful. As we’ve matured beyond the initial (and relatively easy) stages of a relationship, every aspect of our union has become more profound and sophisticated. From conversation to managing the household to love making, we’ve grown together and strengthened and informed one another in ways that make us each stronger individuals, but also a unique duo. And we’re providing a stable environment for our two children that gives them the base from which to grow into creative, thoughtful, productive adults.

A lot of things have to come together to make a marriage work. Most importantly the people have to be compatible. This can take a lot of different forms, but it’s essential. And secondly, the two people have to want to be married. Jessica and I both want a successful marriage. We’ve hit rough spots and hard times, but we’ve always come through because we really want to make it work. This sounds simple–almost trite–but it surprises me how many people get married without actually wanting a marriage lifestyle.

Of course, people change and grow and sometimes marriages work well for a while and then fall apart. There’s nothing you can do about that and I’m not so foolish as to think that would never happen to us. I can’t imagine letting Jessica go. After all, she’s smart, beautiful, competent, and a hell of a mother. But who knows, she might get tired of me at some point. Not many women would put up with a tall, dorky looking guy who plays weird music for little money, trains like a demon for endurance sports, and collects exotic pets. I’m lucky indeed!

I’ve had several friends who have already been divorced once or twice. I don’t judge them, not one little bit. In all cases it was the best thing for everyone. But if I can avoid that I will. At this point I’m committed to the marriage as much because I love Jessica and my kids as because I love giving a big giant middle finger to The Man and his failed marriages, his lousy pop music, his TV culture, and his senseless wars and stupid laws.

Fall 2010

Busy times. I’m finally getting going on my book project that I’ve been thinking about for several years. This will be about the influence of Hindustani music on American Experimental music. I’ll be looking at La Monte Young, Terry Riley, Michael Harrison, Robert Morris, Shirish Korde, and other composers. I’m primarily interested in folks who have actually played this music, though in the case of Morris a thorough knowledge can work too. There are a few dissertations here and there and a few articles, but nothing has been collected into book form. I’m the guy to do it and for selfish reasons as well it will play into my creative work.

I’m also busy composing. I just finished a short fanfare for WPU. Sort of Drum and Bass and has a little bit of fuck you in there too. Not sure why, but it just ended up that way. But it’s intense and I think folks will enjoy it. I’m also in the middle of a piece for the NYU Steelband. I’m tentatively calling it “Kids”. It’s joyful and noisy. You get the idea . . . I’ve stolen some of Michael Gordon’s rhythmic ideas. Again. I feel mildly guilty about it except that in all other respects it’s my own work.

And then Wuorinen. I haven’t gone this deep into learning a solo marimba piece since last year when I played the Robert Morris piece I also commissioned. Charles’s solo is a masterpiece. And of course I’ve got the showcase concert at PASIC looming over my head. With a projected 3,000 percussionists in the audience that has been a motivator. I’ve been putting in several hours a day on it, both on and off the marimba. At this point I’m starting to get bored with it, which is a good sign. It’s as hard as they come, but worth the effort. There’s more music in one bar of that piece than in everything you hear on the radio in a given day. It’s pushed my marimba playing to higher levels and I feel better about my powers behind the instrument than I have for a while.

All in all, I’m in full throttle as a musician. At 35 my powers as a composer, improviser, and interpreter are stronger than they’ve ever been. My composing is more fluid than ever, though I have the nagging feeling that the pieces I’m putting out aren’t as fundamentally creative as some of my other pieces, but I’m trying not to think about it too much. Too much thinking is death to a creative person.

And of course I’m still finding (or stealing) time to train for triathlon. It’s off season, so I’ve been hitting the weights more and working on my swim technique. I’m also slowly cranking up my running, setting myself up for some major growth in that area next spring.

Onwards and upwards.

Elliott Sharp

I first became aware of Elliott Sharp‘s music about five years ago. My friend Jason Price recommended his stuff to me. (And definitely click on that link to Jason’s site. He’s one of the most interesting and creative musicians on the scene right now. More on that in a later post.)

I found youtube clips of Elliott playing guitar with blues bands, improvising freely on both guitar and saxophone, leading his own ensembles, then reports about his amazing string quartets and orchestra music, his involvement with the punk scene, his approach to jazz standards, film scores, commercials, and on and on. It seemed there was nothing he wasn’t involved with. He also has an interest in just intonation and has written many pieces with alternate tunings. Further, he’s a bit of science geek and that interest often guides his music.

But beyond the phenomenal breadth of his creative output what really blew me away was how listenable his music is. Ranging from sweet and melodious to some of the harshest and noisiest stuff I’ve ever heard, the common thread running through his work is that it is music meant to be listened to. That may seem like a redundant thing to say, but it’s hard to write or improvise music that really works on an aural level. It’s much easier to create music that lends itself to philosophical discussion or analysis, whether theoretically or culturally. Elliott is one of the few modern composers/improvisers that I actually LISTEN to on a regular basis, whether in the car or with headphones. I like that about his music and I also like the freedom with which he moves between different settings and genres. As I’ve struggled over the years to figure out how to fit my own eclectic output into the marketplace Elliott has given me the courage to just pursue my own work in any way possible, without wasting energy worrying about how to categorize it.

After a few years of following his work I contacted Elliott to see if he’d be interested in writing me a solo marimba piece. I’ve commissioned a nice series of pieces from Charles Wuorinen, Bob Morris, Caleb Burhans, Stuart Smith, and David Saperstein, but none of them allow for improvisation and I really wanted a piece that might include some improvisation or at least some flexibility for the performer. Elliott was game and we met a few times to discuss the project.

We really hit it off. Not only do we share similar musical interests, but we’re both in the middle of balancing a life as creative musicians while raising two young kids. Elliott adores his children and is clearly as able a father as he is a musician. We’ve shared many thoughts about the complexity of our lives now that the children are present.

At some point I mustered up the courage to ask him if he’d be interested in playing a show with me. I was prepared for him to say no because of his busy schedule but to my pleasant surprise and honor he said yes. I contacted the folks at The Tank and they agreed to an evening. To say I’m deeply honored would be an understatement. I regard Elliott as unquestionably one of the most fluid and modern musicians in the world right now and a tremendous inspiration. Playing with him is literally a dream come true. I know I have much to learn so I’m going into the concert with my ears and mind open and my concentration high. So long as I’m focusing on the music rather than the situation something magical should happen.

Bloomingdale School Gig

Last year I got one of those nice emails that we composers enjoy where Katy Luo from the Bloomingdale School in NYC asked me to write a piece for their A4TY series. Not only was I excited about writing for these talented kids, but I got to follow in a nice lineage of composers who have written for this series that includes Frederic Rzewski, Caleb Burhans, Elliott Sharp, and Dennis Desantis. And I should add that Katy has worked very hard to make this come together and she really does some incredible work as a champion of new music.

I ended up writing an orchestra piece, and a curious one at that. Like the piece I wrote for Classical Jam, this one also includes possible audience participation. After the Classical Jam gig a few weeks ago I’m now pretty confident that people will want to participate and that the sounds that are produced will be quite captivating.

The piece is called People Coming Together and I wrote it as a response to the Haitian earthquake tragedy that happened earlier this year. I generally don’t like programmatic music, as I generally prefer music that is just music, but I was so moved by so many of the individual stories that I felt compelled to respond in some way. I ended up compiling quite a few stories from folks who suffered through the Haitian earthquake, as well as 9/11, Hurricane Katrina, and the Asian Tsunami. The stories are amazing, and range from light humor to the deepest and darkest pathos. Various readers are scattered throughout the hall and read various texts at the same time, creating a babbling texture. The audience can participate in that as well (they’ll have the texts in their programs). The music that frames these text readings is at times lyrical and sweet and then quite noisy and aggressive.

Classical Jam and MCYO at Strathmore

This past Sunday Classical Jam and the Maryland Classic Youth Orchestra Philharmonic performed my Concerto for Quintet, Orchestra, and Audience at Strathmore Hall in Bethesda, Maryland. I’ve known the members of Classical Jam for a few years now as they’ve been performing my little encore piece Devil Dance for a while. They are phenomenal musicians, each of them a virtuoso and collectively a tight and deeply musical chamber ensemble, but this was the first time I really got to hang out with them socially and get to know them better.

Marco is a deeply spiritual person, with a sunny optimism and a kind heart. He is always smiling and obviously at a very special place in his life right now as his lovely wife Lilly is pregnant with their first child. Marco is a graduate of Venezuela’s prized El Sistema program and is equally at home with choro as he is with classical and contemporary music. The flute cadenza I wrote for him is extremely difficult and he just ate it up.

I was glad to spend some time with Justin. We’ve crossed paths in the percussion world and of course know many of the same people, but haven’t had a chance to really get to know one another. He is extremely smart, with some interesting hobbies. (e.g., he’s a New Yorkaphile, and can tell you almost anything about all the major buildings and landmarks in NYC.) In addition to his formidable technique and musicianship as a percussionist he also has a background in theatre and is a committed educator. Last year I heard him speak with a general audience, discussing various sophisticated rhythms, and his presentation was hands down the best I’ve ever seen. Like the others, he had no trouble with his cadenza, despite the relentless athleticism it requires.

Wendy is really the driving force behind Classical Jam. She does the majority of the booking and business work and I think she was the generating force behind founding the ensemble. She’s an exceptional cellist, with a warm, rich tone, and excellent intonation. She also had no trouble with her cadenza, which is quite virtuosic and moves all over the instrument. Wendy has a natural grace and beauty and really looked and sounded quite stunning on stage. Her mother was visiting for the trip and I enjoyed meeting her as well. She even volunteered to be one of the speakers for the piece.

Cyrus is the newest member of the group. He is equally at home on viola and violin. For CJ gigs he mostly plays viola, though I think with the NYC Ballet he plays violin. He has an understated wit and humor, and has a lovely way of being sarcastically funny without being abrasive. His cadenza placed special demands on him as he had to both convey a sense of freedom with the lines while staying with the conductor, which was quite difficult for a lot of reasons. Like the others, his technique and musicianship go deep.

And then there’s Jenny. For some reason Jenny and I always end hanging out during car rides. Since we live near one another I’ve dropped her off at her house three times. Those are some of the most fun car rides in my life. She is as passionate about experimental music as I am and most of the time we hop from one track to another, trading ipods and blasting great music. Then we talk about music, life, our spouses, careers, etc. She enjoys gossiping—a trait I adore in any person as I’m a terrible gossip—but she’s never negative or vindictive. In fact she has a lot of positive energy and is complimentary towards people all the time and is quite excited about life. I respect her amazing musicianship and work ethic. She understands the hustle that goes into a career in creative music, something we talk about a lot. Her cadenza included the option to improvise and she took me up on that and the performance was scintillating.

As for the piece, I need to revise it a bit. The audience was willing to participate, but there are some ways I can make that work better. But people seemed to really like it, and I feel really good about it. It does what I wanted it to do, which is be a virtuoso showcase for CJ, but still communicate with a general audience. And some of my most beautiful writing is in there. Now we just need to figure out how to get more bookings. And the work goes on and on . . .

Audience participation pieces

I just finished two large orchestra pieces. One is called Concerto for Quintet, Orchestra, and Audience and is about 14 minutes long. I wrote it for Classical Jam and the Maryland Classic Youth Orchestras. Both ensembles are outstanding.

The second piece is called People Coming Together and I wrote it for the Bloomingdale School of Music. They have an excellent commissioning program and I’m part of a lineage of composers they commission each year that includes Elliott Sharp, Frederic Rzewski, Caleb Burhans, and others.

Both pieces include audience participation. Before the performance begins the audience is coached on humming a note, snapping their fingers on cue, and reading various texts. All of these create a kind of atmospheric, controlled crowd noise.

I wasn’t wild about doing this at first, but Peter Robles (my manager) and especially Wendy Law (the cellist from Classical Jam) really liked the idea and pushed me on it. I was worried it would be “cheesy” or gimmicky, but upon further thought I think my worries were unfounded. I was hoping that this would bring the audience closer to the music and I think I might succeed on that account. I was at a performance recently where the singer did some call and response things and I was surprised at how eager the audience was to join in. We’ll see how it goes, but right now I’m feeling optimistic.